My husband Kenneth and I first cruised past the Grenadines in 1987
and were fascinated to find an endless array of small, almost deserted
islands scattered from Grenada to St. Vincent. We saw lots of white
sand beaches edged with deep blue waters -- many looked just like the island
and thatched roof hut shown on the side border of this page. We wanted
to someday return to this area of the Caribbean and made the first trip
to St. Vincent & the Grenadines during November 1998. We've returned
each year since to explore the various islands, each quite different from
the others.

The following year, we went to the British Virgin Islands first, and
took LIAT to St. Vincent - Caribbean Star is another regional airline that
flies between major islands. We then used SVG Air to hop between
St. Vincent, Bequia, Mustique, and Union Island. We headed home with
an hours flight from Union to Barbados with TIA to connect with our American
Airlines to the U.S. and Texas. As you can see, there are many ways
to reach St. Vincent & the Grenadines and several commuter airlines
from which to choose.

We've taken lots of photos during our trips, and write reports about
each resort we visited -- you'll find links in the blue box below.
Be aware that these reviews have a tremendous amount of graphics and pictures,
so downloading the pages may be a little slow but worth it.

~ St. Vincent & the
Grenadines ~

While one reads all about the more visited
Caribbean destinations such as the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, the Caymans,
and St. Martin, it's often hard to find information about St. Vincent and
the Grenadines. One reason is that St. Vincent, a bountiful island
with vast coconut and banana plantations, does not primarily depend on
tourism as a source of income, and another is that the Grenadines are remote
and can only be reached by yachts or commuter airlines. As a result,
these islands are the perfect haven for travelers searching for quiet,
beautiful getaways surrounded in natural splendors, rather than islands
full of glitzy hotels, casinos, jet loads of tourists, and yet another
Little Switzerland or Colombian Emerald shop.

St. Vincent is one of the most lush islands we've ever visited,
somewhat like St. Lucia, but more spectacular in terms of rain forests,
high mountains, deep valleys, and miles of dramatic shorelines. Every
square inch seems covered in thick jungles or tropical farms, even steep
hillsides. Rainfall is high, over 200" a year, so almost anything
will thrive and grow fast.

As one travels southward through the small Grenadine islands, the terrain
changes. Steep mountains become rolling hills flowing down to gentle
valleys, such as on Bequia, Mustique, and Petit St. Vincent. Rainfall
is lower in the Grenadines, so while these small islands have lots of tropical
vegetation, it is not as thick and is mixed with large grassy fields.

Just as the islands differ, so did the resorts we visited.

Young Island is only 600' from St. Vincent and its 35 acres hold
30 stone cottages surrounded by tropical lushness. The resort has
a delightful upscale "castaway" atmosphere yet is near enough St. Vincent
to offer many day trip opportunities - rain forest and volcano hiking,
tours of the valleys, plantations, and historic sites.

Cotton House, the only resort on Mustique, has 20 luxury accommodations
residing on the crest of low hills surrounding vast stretches of perfect
green lawns dotted with lilly ponds. Clusters of tropical trees and
palms embellish the estate. The ambiance is relaxed elegance. Most
guests rent a 4 wheeled "mule" and spend an afternoon exploring the island
which has one small village with Basil's Bar and Restaurant (great lobster),
a few shops, a riding stable, and lots of privately owned mansions, known
as "homes of the rich and famous".

The Firefly Inn on Mustique has four lovely guest suites with
quiet surroundings and panoramic views set on a hillside with cascading
swimming pools surrounded with lush gardens. In the evening, casual
elegance sets the mood for sunset cocktails and romantic dinners by candlelight
... often followed by a party atmosphere which can last until midnight.

Petit St. Vincent is the ultimate hideaway for those really
wanting to get away from it all. This remote private island is encircled
with picture perfect white sand beaches and coral gardens. The resort
specializes in privacy and service with 22 separate secluded cottages tucked
along its shorelines and low hillsides. Guests can dine in the lovely
restaurant or have all meals delivered to their cottage. The island
features hiking trails and 2 miles of snorkeling reefs. Day trips
are made by boat to nearby islands.

We plan to return to all, for each island and resort is very special
in its own way. Which is right for you? Read my reviews and
decide. It may be a hard choice!

As usual, being a cyber-person who plans most of our adventures with
my computer and modem before a trip, I set about searching for information
on the internet but found very little! However, I did discover a
few good web sites about this group of islands and you can find the links
below.

Getting There: Most guests fly to Barbados and then take
an afternoon one hour commuter airline to St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
We always use Ulf Carlson of Olson Travel, a Caribbean specialist, for
all our airline, resort, and transfer reservations - visit
his website for more information.